September 1, 2014 event data recorders (EDR's) may be mandatory in all new light passenger vehicles sold in the U.S.. The EDR's serve as black boxes for cars.  EDR'S are already present in the majority of new car models, an estimated 96% of model year 2013 passenger and light-duty vehicles are equipped with EDR's according to the NHTSA.

 Some of the information recorded include:

• ·         Whether the occupant's seat belt was fastened
• ·         information about the state of the engine throttle
• ·         air bag deployment timing and air bag readiness before the crash
• ·         crash forces at the moment of impact
• ·         vehicle speed
• ·         whether the brake was activated in the moments before the crash